Recap: Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger, Episode 47 – The Final Game

At the treehouse, the Zyuman4 mistakenly think Yamato and his father have just simply made up. Misao snaps them back to reality. Amu realizes maybe she shouldn’t have butted in. But Uncle Mario says maybe it’s time for Yamato to face his past so he can move forward.

Yamato is at the cemetery visiting his mother when Ginis suddenly broadcasts a message to Earth. He commends Earth for putting up a fight, unlike the other planets who succumbed to his genocide game. But now it’s time for a final, ultimate game.

The Sagitariark releases its arrow and lands on Earth to inject Ginis’ cells to ensure its complete annihilation.

Yamato starts to run toward the scene, but his father arrives with a bouquet of flowers. Yamato tries to run past, but his father stops him. He asks Yamato to stop putting himself in danger because it will make his mother sad.

“Who are you to say that to me?!” Yamato knocks his father’s hand away which causes him drop the flowers.

While the others have to face Gift and some Meobas, Larry stops Bado from morphing. Larry knows that any more morphing will kill him because of all the Zyuman power he’s given to Yamato. Larry has a different idea to help instead.

Yamato asks his father why he never told him about saving Bado-san. Father says it was to protect Bado, but Yamato says that’s a lie.

Yamato expresses the feelings he’s felt for years. Father was never home and when he was, he wouldn’t speak. Mother might have understood, but Yamato did not. He wanted Father to talk to him more, he wanted to know more. If he felt that connection, he wouldn’t have felt so afraid the day Mother died.

Yamato remember his mother’s final words to him. “And our family is always connected. You are not alone.”

Yamato apologizes for cherishing every connection except the one closest to him. Father says it is his fault and he apologizes. Yamato says Mother must be laughing at them for how alike they are.

The others continue fighting Gift who only multiplies with every defeat. They and Yamato all start getting a call through their Cubes.

Yamato says he has to go. Before he does, he assures his Father that he is not alone. And that all lives are connected in some way. Just like how Father saving Bado-san allowed Yamato and his friends to save the world.

Yamato’s father gives his blessing and Yamato promises to return home.

The others meet with Larry and Bado who have moved the Link Cube. Their plan is to use the Link Cube system to isolate Earth in a separate dimension which would protect against any attack from Ginis. But that would mean severing any connection between the human world and Zyuland.

Bado says they will open the Link Cube and allow the Zyumans to return to Zyuland with Larry. Bado says he will remain and asks Misao to help him and Yamato fight.

The Zyuman4 are not sure about this. They want to return home, but they do not want to abandon Earth. Larry apologizes, but says this is the best plan they have. Bado asks them to hand over their King’s Marks.

The Zyuman4 decide they do not want to end the connection between humans and Zyumans like this. So they will sacrifice returning home to stay and help fight.

Yamato arrives and says they will do no such thing. They will create a world where they can always return. They must not give up hope.

Yamato says they will fight until the end. The others agree. Larry and Bado supports their resolve.

The Zyuohgers hurry back into the city, which is burning all over. They run into Naria and an army of Gifts.

The Zyuohgers morph and they immediately hop into Wild Tousai Dodeka King. They focus their attention on breaking the wire connecting the arrow to the Sagitariark. Naria decides to embiggen herself and all the Gifts to try and stop them.

The Zyuohgers are able to fight her off, but can’t make a dent in the wire. Yamato and Misao are thinking the same thing and they decide to yank on the wire to pull the Sagitariark down to Earth. Naria realizes their plan and gives one last shot at stopping them. But the Zyuohgers deliver a Zyuoh Dodeka Dynamite Stream at her and she dies.

The Zyuohgers unleash their beasts and are able to yank the Sagitariark down to Earth. It comes crashing down and the Zyuohgers think they’ve killed Ginis.

But Ginis appears and engulfs the Zyuohgers in explosions.

“Sorry, but you haven’t cleared my game yet.”

Episode Thoughts

Game? What is this? Ex-Aid?

Just kidding. So this was an interesting penultimate episode. You’d think though that after Ginis’ Most Dangerous Game, his “final” game would be even more brutal and bloody. His “endgame” was basically to wipe out the entire planet. Certainly different from other Big Bads who want to rule the world. Since his Blood Game didn’t end the way he expected, his final plan is to inject himself into the planet? Hmm… we are to assume that his cells will achieve the same genocide, but without the “fun” of watching the Blood Game itself. Kind of an underwhelming way to finish, unless there’s one last twist in the finale.

The other big part of this episode was the conclusion of Yamato and his father’s story. They were nice scenes at the cemetery and Masaki Nakao has knocked his performance out of the park these last few episodes. But again, I still feel the whole story was too hollow without the right amount of foundation for it. Yamato’s character was never defined by daddy issues. That’s not to say his whole character should’ve only focused on that. But I think there was definitely a missed opportunity to have this “connection” talk easily lay a fuller foundation.

Instead, I feel like these last few episodes had Yamato only all about the issues with his father, forgetting his rather solid and full characterization throughout the season. I thought about comparing this to Takeru’s season-long struggle to keep his secret in Shinkenger. I think maybe a similar treatment would’ve made this story for Yamato very, very good. There’s the risk of making the season too Red-centric. But I think Yamato’s relationship with his father could’ve easily been woven into the overarching theme of connections and bonds with each other and all life much better.

Another “general” goes down and another underwhelming end. Seriously though, all of Ginis’ “generals” have had underwhelming demises. Naria getting betrayed by Cubaru was a much more dramatic and maybe more satisfying end for her rather that what we got here. It would’ve been brutal and maybe made Cubaru irredeemable. But at least it would’ve fit both characters, especially her with her unwavering allegiance to Ginis.

I was wondering when the Sagitariark would be used as a bow and arrow. It was definitely an interesting design from the start. It was also interesting to see the villain base be destroyed on the finale instead of the heroes’ base like the usual. Though destroying the treehouse would’ve been especially tough and painful. The Sagitariark crashing down to Earth looked great on TV though.

So one last episode and it appears all the Zyuohgers have to do is fight to the death with Ginis to end it all. Pretty simple. Summon all the powers of Earth to defeat him. It might not sound all that thrilling, but hopefully there’s a nice twist to keep things exciting. Otherwise… well, let’s just see what happens next week.